The dangers of mixing drugs - Céline Valéry
-
0:07 - 0:11Which of these three people
is doing something risky? -
0:11 - 0:15Is it the one who takes their cholesterol
medication with grapefruit juice? -
0:15 - 0:17The one who takes Acetaminophen pain
relievers -
0:17 - 0:20for a sore ankle before
going out for drinks? -
0:20 - 0:23Or the one who’s on a blood-thinning
medication -
0:23 - 0:27and takes an aspirin for a headache?
-
0:27 - 0:29Actually, all of them are.
-
0:29 - 0:35Each has inadvertently created a drug
interaction that could, in extreme cases, -
0:35 - 0:37lead to kidney failure; liver damage;
-
0:37 - 0:39or internal bleeding.
-
0:39 - 0:40Drug interactions happen
-
0:40 - 0:44when the combination of a drug
with another substance -
0:44 - 0:47causes different effects than either
would individually. -
0:47 - 0:52Foods, herbal supplements, legal drugs,
and illicit substances -
0:52 - 0:55can all cause drug interactions.
-
0:55 - 0:58Most drug interactions
fall into two categories. -
0:58 - 1:03Some take place when two substances’
effects influence each other directly. -
1:03 - 1:07In other cases, one substance effects
how the body processes another, -
1:07 - 1:12like how it is absorbed, metabolized,
or transported around the body. -
1:12 - 1:15Blood thinners and aspirin, for example,
-
1:15 - 1:19have similar effects that become
dangerous when combined. -
1:19 - 1:21Both prevent blood clots from forming—
-
1:21 - 1:24blood thinners by preventing the formation
of the clotting factors -
1:24 - 1:26that hold clots together,
-
1:26 - 1:30and aspirin by preventing blood cells
from clumping into groups -
1:30 - 1:32that become clots.
-
1:32 - 1:35Individually, these effects
are usually safe, -
1:35 - 1:39but taken together, they can prevent blood
clotting to a dangerous extent, -
1:39 - 1:41possibly causing internal bleeding.
-
1:41 - 1:44While blood thinners and aspirin are
generally harmless -
1:44 - 1:46when taken individually,
-
1:46 - 1:50interactions where one substance
exacerbates the effects of another -
1:50 - 1:54can also take place between drugs that
are independently harmful. -
1:54 - 1:57Cocaine and heroin are each dangerous,
-
1:57 - 2:00and those dangers compound when the
two drugs are combined— -
2:00 - 2:04even though their behavioral effects may
feel like they cancel each other out. -
2:04 - 2:09Cocaine is a stimulant, and many of its
effects, like increased heart rate, -
2:09 - 2:12cause the body to need more oxygen.
-
2:12 - 2:15But heroin, a depressant,
slows breathing— -
2:15 - 2:19reducing the body’s oxygen supply just
when it needs more. -
2:19 - 2:24This combination strains the organs and
can cause respiratory failure and death. -
2:24 - 2:29The interaction between grapefruit juice
and certain medications -
2:29 - 2:32in class of cholesterol-lowering drugs
called statins, -
2:32 - 2:35has to do with drug metabolism.
-
2:35 - 2:40The liver produces enzymes, molecules that
facilitate the breakdown of substances -
2:40 - 2:42that enter the body.
-
2:42 - 2:44Enzymes can both activate drugs,
-
2:44 - 2:47by breaking them down into their
therapeutic ingredients -
2:47 - 2:51from more complex molecules,
and deactivate them, -
2:51 - 2:55by breaking harmful compounds down
into harmless metabolites. -
2:55 - 2:57There are many, many different enzymes,
-
2:57 - 3:01each of which has a binding site that
fits a specific molecule. -
3:01 - 3:06Grapefruit binds to the same enzyme
as statins, -
3:06 - 3:10making less of that enzyme available
to break down statins. -
3:10 - 3:14So combining the two means that a
greater concentration of the drug -
3:14 - 3:17stays in the bloodstream for a longer
period of time, -
3:17 - 3:19potentially causing kidney failure.
-
3:19 - 3:24Alcohol can also alter the function of the
enzyme that breaks down Acetaminophen, -
3:24 - 3:29the active ingredient in pain relievers
like Tylenol and paracetamol. -
3:29 - 3:34When someone takes Acetaminophen, some
of it is converted into a toxic substance. -
3:34 - 3:35At the recommended dose,
-
3:35 - 3:39there isn’t usually enough of this toxic
byproduct to cause harm. -
3:39 - 3:42But heavy drinking can alter enzyme
activity -
3:42 - 3:45so more of that byproduct is produced,
-
3:45 - 3:46potentially causing liver damage
-
3:46 - 3:50even with what’s usually a safe dose of
acetominophen. -
3:50 - 3:55Meanwhile, the herbal remedy Saint John’s
Wort increases the liver’s production -
3:55 - 3:57of a particular enzyme.
-
3:57 - 4:01That means the drugs this enzyme is
responsible for breaking down -
4:01 - 4:02get metabolized faster—
-
4:02 - 4:07sometimes too fast, before they can
have their therapeutic effects. -
4:07 - 4:11In spite of the dizzying number of
possible interactions, -
4:11 - 4:16most of the dangerous interactions
with commonly used drugs are well known. -
4:16 - 4:19And new developments in science are
helping us keep better track -
4:19 - 4:22of drug interactions than ever.
-
4:22 - 4:26Some researchers are developing AI
programs that can predict the side effects -
4:26 - 4:29of drug interactions before they occur,
-
4:29 - 4:34using information about the landscape
of protein interactions within your body. -
4:34 - 4:37For the new drugs that are being developed
all the time, -
4:37 - 4:40supercomputers are being used to find
potential interactions -
4:40 - 4:43while those drugs
are still in development.
- Title:
- The dangers of mixing drugs - Céline Valéry
- Speaker:
- Céline Valéry
- Description:
-
View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-dangers-of-mixing-drugs-celine-valery
Which of the following is risky behavior: a person taking cholesterol medicine with grapefruit juice? Or a person taking Acetaminophen before going out for drinks? Or a person on blood thinners who takes an aspirin? Turns out, all of them are risky. Each has inadvertently created a drug interaction that could lead to serious complications. Céline Valéry describes the dangers of mixing substances.
Lesson by Céline Valéry, directed by Cabong Studios.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:45
lauren mcalpine edited English subtitles for The dangers of mixing drugs | ||
lauren mcalpine edited English subtitles for The dangers of mixing drugs | ||
lauren mcalpine edited English subtitles for The dangers of mixing drugs | ||
lauren mcalpine approved English subtitles for The dangers of mixing drugs | ||
lauren mcalpine accepted English subtitles for The dangers of mixing drugs | ||
lauren mcalpine edited English subtitles for The dangers of mixing drugs | ||
Tara Ahmadinejad edited English subtitles for The dangers of mixing drugs | ||
Tara Ahmadinejad edited English subtitles for The dangers of mixing drugs |